Membership - American Sail Training Association

board bios

Kevin Dykema

Kevin Dykema has lived in Michigan his whole life with the exception of three years in Georgia when he was a child. He has spent his entire working life in the newspaper business for the Kalamazoo Gazette (11 years), the Grand Rapids Press (11 years) and the Bay City Times 16 years).

Mr. Dykema has been a recreational sailor for 25 years on lakes Michigan and Huron. In 1998 he formed the non- profit BaySail organization in Bay City which then acquired the schooner Appledore IV to do environmental education for school groups. In 2001 they acquired a second vessel, Appledore V and added a sail training program.

He have served as the chairman of Tallship® Celebration Bay City which has hosted the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® series in Bay City in 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2010.